Researchers call for elimination of tobacco use worldwide by 2040

New Zealand researchers have claimed that they will try to create a tobacco-free world by 2040 with sufficient political support and stronger evidence-based action against the tobacco industry.

The Lancet, an international group of health and policy experts will launch the series in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at the 2015 World Conference on Tobacco or Health as an attempt to make a tobacco-free world in less than three decades where there would be less than 5 percent of adults using tobacco.

The experts noticed that there would be 1 billion deaths from smoking and other forms of tobacco use by the end of this century, if efforts to tackle tobacco use would be not accelerated.

Professors Robert Beaglehole from the University of Auckland in New Zealand said that the time has come for the world to acknowledge the unacceptability of the damage being done by the tobacco industry and work towards a world free from the legal and illegal sale of tobacco products, and they would make such place in less than three decades from now, but only with the support of governments, international agencies, such as UN and WHO, and civil society.

As per the laws and regulations, the FCTC has been successful in some countries like Australia, New Zealand, Finland, United Kingdom, Ireland and Scotland to reduce tobacco usage, but global tobacco regulation required "turbo-charged."

Professor Anna Gilmore, from the University of Bath, UK said that tobacco marketing deliberately targeted women and young people, and continued to interfere with governments' efforts to implement effective tobacco control policies.

The developments in nationwide legislation included protecting people from second-hand smoke and banning all forms of tobacco advertising, promotion, and sponsorship, then to increase cigarette tax and changes to health warnings on standardized cigarette packaging to reduce tobacco consumption.

The research article is published in The Lancet Global Health.